Philogene completes Villa return
Aston Villa have re-signed England Under-21 winger Jaden Philogene from Hull - less than 12 months after selling him to the Tigers.
The 22-year-old has penned a five-year contract after Villa more than matched Ipswich's £18m offer.
Yet Hull will not get all of the cash due to the 30% sell on inserted in the deal which took him to the Tigers, meaning they will bank around £13.5m.
Villa had matching rights after Philogene's move to the Tigers last September and triggered the clause last week just as the Tractor Boys looked like wrapping up the transfer.
Everton miss out on Philogene
Philogene had been keen to move to Portman Road before Villa's late intervention and he flew back from Hull's training camp in Turkey last Friday before having a medical on Monday.
He had initially been left at home by the Tigers at the start of last week but eventually flew out to briefly join his team-mates.
Villa are able to offer Champions League football after finishing fourth in the Premier League last season.
Philogene made six appearances, but just one start, for Villa after coming through the club's academy and had loans spells at Stoke and Cardiff.
Everton also wanted the wideman while Crystal Palace were interested but decided a deal was too expensive.
He scored 12 goals in 32 games for Hull last season as they finished seventh in the Championship.
The signing of Philogene and the expected transfer of Onana will take Villa's spending this summer to around £140m.
The clubs in City Football Group
City Football Group, which owns Manchester City, has a majority share in 10 clubs, as well as minority shares in two others.
Clubs owned by City Football Club:
Manchester City (England)
Girona (Spain)
Palermo (Italy)
Troyes (France)
Lommel (Belgium)
New York City FC (United States of America)
Mumbai City (India)
Melbourne City (Australia)
Montevideo City Torque (Uruguay)
Bahia (Brazil)
Yokohama F.Marinos (Japan) - minority stake
Shenzhen Peng City (China) - minority stake
On top of the clubs it owns, City Football Group also has partnerships with Club Bolivar (Bolivia) and Vannes (France).
'The first player to climb to the top of the City Football Group pyramid'
It's no wonder Manchester City have made Savinho their first signing of the summer, snapping him up from sister team Troyes, who had loaned him to Girona.
The 20-year-old has become the first player to climb all the way to the top of the City Football Group pyramid.
Having ended last season with 11 goals and 10 assists for Girona, he will be determined to prove that he's here to stay.
'A 10-goal and 20-assist player'
Strong on the ball and able to change direction in a second fraction, Savinho was originally registered at third-division club Troyes, but never featured for the French side. Instead, he was sent on loan to PSV Eindhoven.
An early injury, however, stalled his progression and, combined with reduced minutes after that, made it impossible for him to shine in the Eredivisie.
Girona had watched him in the 2023 Under-20 World Cup and decided he was worth the bet, although it was not easy to convince Michel at first as he had asked for an experienced winger.
"Savinho didn't have much senior football under his belt; he had been sidelined at PSV, played for the reserves, but not as starter, so that was a difficult sell," said Carcel.
He had to hit the ground running and so he did, imposing himself from the first moment he arrived in Catalonia. He wasn't allowed to switch off for a minute. He simply couldn't.
"You have the potential to finish this season with 10 goals and 20 assists, so do it," Michel told him during half-time in a match in which he had already scored and assisted once.
It certainly won't get any easier for Savinho under Guardiola.
He doesn't mind. He's living his dream.
From milking cows to Man City - the story of Savinho
Girona manager Michel is not one to get carried away too easily.
He couldn't resist the temptation, however, after watching Savinho train for the first time during pre-season last year, immediately calling sporting director Quique Carcel aside.
"We're going to finish in the top eight," he told Carcel, who tried, in vain, to bring him back down to earth. "Are you crazy or what?" As it would turn out, Michel could not have got it more right.
Such was Savinho's impact at the Montilivi stadium that Michel's prediction wasn't bold enough - as Girona fought for the La Liga title until the very end. They finished in third place - behind only Real Madrid and Barcelona - and qualified for the Champions League. It was the best campaign in the club's 93-year history.
Much of the credit for this was given to their electrifying winger.
In the space of a year, Savinho went from a player struggling in PSV Eindhoven reserves to a breakout star in Spain, making his Brazil debut against England at Wembley.
Man City sign Brazil winger Savinho for £30.8m
As mentioned earlier, Manchester City signed Brazil winger Savinho on Thursday from French side Troyes in a deal worth 40m euros (£30.8m).
The 20-year-old, who has signed a contract until 2029, starred on loan at Girona last season as they finished third in La Liga.
Both Girona and Troyes are part of the City Football Group.
Savinho said City are currently the "best team in the world" and that he is excited to work under manager Pep Guardiola, who he called "one of the greatest coaches ever".
On why Manchester City is the right club for him, Savinho said: "[Because of] everything I've seen today. I just got here this morning and I turned to my agent and stepfather and said, 'there was no way I was going to turn down Manchester City'.
"I'm a Brazilian who likes to play on the front foot, to be happy, to play joyful football.
"I like playing one against one, making assists, scoring goals too, and helping the team. My main characteristic, what I like the most, is being happy and getting fans up off their seats."
Bradford-born Greenwood's potential Valley Parade bow
Mason Greenwood's new side Marseille face Sunderland in a pre-season friendly on 3 August at Bradford City's Valley Parade, with the Stadium of Light unavailable because of renovation work.
Greenwood was born in Bradford and it could be his first game back in England since he was arrested in January 2022 following allegations surrounding material which was published online.
Serious charges against him, including attempted rape and assault, were dropped in February 2023.
Man Utd include sizeable sell-on clause in Greenwood deal
Mason Greenwood was a product of Manchester United's academy but has not played for the Premier League club since January 2022 and was on loan at Getafe last season.
Serious charges against the 22-year-old former England forward, including attempted rape and assault, were dropped in February 2023.
The French club were criticised by the Marseille mayor after their intention to sign Greenwood was made public.
He made his competitive senior debut for United in 2019 as a substitute against Paris St-Germain in the Champions League and scored 35 goals in 129 appearances, winning his only England cap in 2020.
In August 2023, United said Greenwood would leave the club by mutual agreement after a six-month internal investigation into his conduct.
He joined La Liga side Getafe the following month, where he scored 10 goals and made six assists in 36 appearances to revive his career.
United, who wished Greenwood well on their website, have also included a sizeable sell-on clause in their £26.6m deal with Marseille.
Man Utd interest in Ugarte
There have been further reports that Manchester United are taking a good look at Paris St-Germain's Manuel Ugarte via Sky Sports, external, as featured in today's BBC Sport gossip column.
There are also reports that Tottenham are aiming to beat Fulham to the signing of United's Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay. (Sun)
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